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Thursday, January 5, 2017

What Lies Ahead?

I have to admit, as much as I love
the holidays, I breathe a sigh of relief when they are over. Don’t get me
wrong, I love gathering with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our
Lord Jesus through special meals and gift exchanges. There is always a sense of
awe and wonder at the Christmas Eve worship service.

And then there is New Years’
Eve. It’s been many years since I went "out on the town” so to speak; at my stage of life, I am happy with a “quieter”
New Years’ Eve observation. This year my
husband and I enjoyed an “at home” evening but did include a short walk down the
street to our municipal dock (three blocks) where there were 10-15 minutes of
fireworks! It was a beautiful brisk,
winter evening. We were then happy to head back to our home and the warmth of
the fireplace.

Now that it is all over and our home
has been “un-decorated”, I have a need to establish some sort of routine. Of course, “routine” is often overrated but
there is a certain sort of comfort in getting back into a rhythm of life.

I am not much for making resolutions simply
because the calendar says we are entering a year with a new number. As a Christian, I want to always be open to
shifts and changes as the Holy Spirit moves me, according to His plan. But, like so many others, all the talk and
hype about a new year coming does, in fact, get me thinking.

What is ahead? Would I want to
know even if I could? During the
holidays, Charlie and I went out to his deer camp deep in the woods of the
Upper Peninsula and we were overwhelmed by the beauty around us. The photo on the top of this blog post is one
I took that day. If you look closely,
you can tell we are on a 2-track, driving through the woods and you can see a
bend in the road. Anything beyond that
bend is “hidden” from our view.

Because I have driven this road many
times, I have a sense of what is next. But there are often surprises….like the
beautiful mama deer we encountered who stood in the road, staring at us for the
longest time. Or there could be a tree fallen
across the road.

Isn’t it a bit like that as we look
toward the future, as we travel down the road of 2017? We don’t know what is ahead, do we? Is that a scary thought? Are you facing a health challenge? Is your job in jeopardy? Are you in a personal struggle of some sort?

Maybe you have exciting plans to look
forward to and that road is bright and beautiful. Are you planning your wedding? Looking forward to a baby/grand baby coming? It could be a special vacation that will take
you to a wonderful destination.

No matter what lies ahead, God tells
us in His Word that we can trust Him! One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3: 5 and 6, “Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will
make straight your paths.” I have a
huge tendency to overthink just about every challenging situation that comes up
– and nothing good comes from doing that!
In the middle of the night, when I cannot sleep for all the busyness
going on in my brain, I come back to this verse. Guess what?
When I actually do trust in
God’s providence, I sleep better, am much less anxious and my joy returns. Go figure!

There are many examples throughout
the Bible that give us a picture of how perfectly God can be trusted. In the Old Testament we read about Rahab, a
woman of poor reputation, who helped God’s people because she trusted in their
God. And God brought her out of danger. Or there was that time Peter jumped out of
the boat, literally walking on water to get to Jesus. He took his eyes off Jesus and he started
sinking. When his trust/focus was back
on Jesus, all was well!

We have a choice before us, each and
every day. Will we head into 2017 with
fear and anxiety about what is ahead, or will we cast our burdens on the Lord
(Psalm 55:22) and look to Him in full trust?
Since God is outside of time and space, He is already in the
future! If I have a New Years’
resolution, it is to dig deeper into my relationship with Jesus and offer Him a
deeper trust than ever before. Will you
travel down that road with me?